Movie Reviews

Incredible visuals from one of the greatest Gothic bands...

Crypt | Arkham | 12/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Nephilim are one of the most unique bands in history. They look like the dusty, tattered ghosts of long dead Western outlaws, and their sound was something otherworldly. Of all the bands to come from the 80's that would later be known as Goth or Gothic Rock, FOTN were definitely the most "epic". With lyrics inspired by ancient lore and shamanism, music inspired by the current post punk movement, Ennio Morricone's soundtracks, prog rock and heavy metal, and their dusty "netherworld cowboys" look,FOTN became a very mysterious and influential phenominon.
This dvd compiles 2 live concerts and their complete video clips. The videos themselves are like short films with story lines. Very atmospheric and they compliment the songs and lyrics perfectly. Forever Remain documents a 1988 concert and features many early Neph songs as well as material from Dawnrazor and The Nephilim. Carl McCoy's stage presence more than reminds me of Jim Morrison. Sound wise, it is quite raw and Carl's vocals sometimes overpower the music. This is only a minor drawback however. Visionary Heads is a 1990 show and most of the material this time comes from Elizium. The recording is much better this time around and they brought in a keyboardist to fill the sound out a bit. Also Carl's dark rasping and growling singing style never sounded creepier! Both concerts are awesome and definitely capture the Nephilim's essence live. Also included is a video from Carl's Death Metal band The Nefilim, and 2 from the post-FOTN band Rubicon. All in all, it's a dream come true for any FOTN fan who haven't been able to find these releases on video."

"It's a pity no one makes music like this anymore, but at least we have a nice DVD to comfort ourselves with. This DVD of course comes with six Nephilim videos and some other materials, but the real draw here is the concert footage. The first concert (Forever Remain - London, Town & Country, 1988) is 71 minutes in length, and they perform 14 tracks, taken mostly from their self-titled album and also from Dawnrazor. The second concert (Visionary Heads - London, Brixton Academy, 1990) is 70 minutes in length. They play the Elizium album almost in its entirety (skipping the last two tracks), and throw in an additional five songs. Of the two, the sound is noticeably better on Visionary Heads. (It probably helps that it was both recorded and mixed by the original producer of the Elizium album - Andy Jackson. He's usually busy working with another little band called Pink Floyd.) Anyways, having seen FOTN live (in May 1990 - right between the two concerts featured here), I can honestly say these shows are good examples of the live experience. The concerts here look and sound great, and if you're a fan, you'd be foolish NOT to get your hands on this."